By making these
10 lifestyle changes, you can lower your blood pressure and reduce your risk of
heart disease.
If you've been diagnosed with high blood pressure (a
systolic pressure — the top number — of 140 or above or a diastolic pressure —
the bottom number — of 90 or above), you might be worried about taking
medication to bring your numbers down.
Lifestyle plays an important role in treating your
high blood pressure. If you successfully control your blood pressure with a
healthy lifestyle, you may avoid, delay or reduce the need for medication.
Here are 10 lifestyle changes you can make to lower
your blood pressure and keep it down.
1. Lose extra pounds and watch your waistline
Blood pressure often increases as weight increases.
Losing just 10 pounds (4.5 kilograms) can help reduce your blood pressure. In
general, the more weight you lose, the lower your blood pressure. Losing weight
also makes any blood pressure medications you're taking more effective. You and
your doctor can determine your target weight and the best way to achieve it.
Besides shedding pounds, you should also keep an eye
on your waistline. Carrying too much weight around your waist can put you at
greater risk of high blood pressure. In general:
- Men are at risk if their waist measurement is greater than 40 inches (102 centimeters, or cm).
- Women are at risk if their waist measurement is greater than 35 inches (89 cm).
- Asian men are at risk if their waist measurement is greater than 36 inches (91 cm).
- Asian women are at risk if their waist measurement is greater than 32 inches (81 cm).
2. Exercise regularly
Regular physical activity — at least 30 to 60 minutes
most days of the week — can lower your blood pressure by 4 to 9 millimeters of
mercury (mm Hg). And it doesn't take long to see a difference. If you haven't
been active, increasing your exercise level can lower your blood pressure
within just a few weeks.
If you have prehypertension — systolic pressure
between 120 and 139 or diastolic pressure between 80 and 89 — exercise can help
you avoid developing full-blown hypertension. If you already have hypertension,
regular physical activity can bring your blood pressure down to safer levels.
Talk to your doctor about developing an exercise
program. Your doctor can help determine whether you need any exercise
restrictions. Even moderate activity for 10 minutes at a time, such as walking
and light strength training, can help.
But avoid being a "weekend warrior." Trying
to squeeze all your exercise in on the weekends to make up for weekday
inactivity isn't a good strategy. Those sudden bursts of activity could
actually be risky.
3. Eat a healthy diet
Eating a diet that is rich in whole grains, fruits,
vegetables and low-fat dairy products and skimps on saturated fat and
cholesterol can lower your blood pressure by up to 14 mm Hg. This eating plan
is known as the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet.
It isn't easy to change your eating habits, but with
these tips, you can adopt a healthy diet:
- Keep a food diary. Writing down what you eat, even for just a week, can shed surprising light on your true eating habits. Monitor what you eat, how much, when and why.
- Consider boosting potassium. Potassium can lessen the effects of sodium on blood pressure. The best source of potassium is food, such as fruits and vegetables, rather than supplements. Talk to your doctor about the potassium level that's best for you.
- Be a smart shopper. Make a shopping list before heading to the supermarket to avoid picking up junk food. Read food labels when you shop and stick to your healthy-eating plan when you're dining out, too.
- Cut yourself some slack. Although the DASH diet is a lifelong eating guide, it doesn't mean you have to cut out all of the foods you love. It's OK to treat yourself occasionally to foods you wouldn't find on a DASH diet menu, such as a candy bar or mashed potatoes with gravy.
4. Reduce sodium in your diet
Even a small reduction in the sodium in your diet can
reduce blood pressure by 2 to 8 mm Hg. The recommendations for reducing sodium
are:
- Limit sodium to 2,300 milligrams (mg) a day or less.
- A lower sodium level — 1,500 mg a day or less — is appropriate for people 51 years of age or older, and individuals of any age who are African-American or who have high blood pressure, diabetes or chronic kidney disease.
To decrease sodium in your diet, consider these tips:
- Track how much salt is in your diet. Keep a food diary to estimate how much sodium is in what you eat and drink each day.
- Read food labels. If possible, choose low-sodium alternatives of the foods and beverages you normally buy.
- Eat fewer processed foods. Potato chips, frozen dinners, bacon and processed lunch meats are high in sodium.
- Don't add salt. Just 1 level teaspoon of salt has 2,300 mg of sodium. Use herbs or spices, rather than salt, to add more flavor to your foods.
- Ease into it. If you don't feel like you can drastically reduce the sodium in your diet suddenly, cut back gradually. Your palate will adjust over time.
5. Limit the amount of alcohol you drink
Alcohol can be both good and bad for your health. In
small amounts, it can potentially lower your blood pressure by 2 to 4 mm Hg.
But that protective effect is lost if you drink too much alcohol — generally
more than one drink a day for women and men older than age 65, or more than two
a day for men age 65 and younger. Also, if you don't normally drink alcohol, you
shouldn't start drinking as a way to lower your blood pressure. There's more
potential harm than benefit to drinking alcohol.
If you drink more than moderate amounts of it, alcohol
can actually raise blood pressure by several points. It can also reduce the
effectiveness of high blood pressure medications.
- Track your drinking patterns. Along with your food diary, keep an alcohol diary to track your true drinking patterns. One drink equals 12 ounces (355 milliliters, or mL) of beer, 5 ounces of wine (148 mL) or 1.5 ounces of 80-proof liquor (45 mL). If you're drinking more than the suggested amounts, cut back.
- Consider tapering off. If you're a heavy drinker, suddenly eliminating all alcohol can actually trigger severe high blood pressure for several days. So when you stop drinking, do it with the supervision of your doctor or taper off slowly, over one to two weeks.
- Don't binge. Binge drinking — having four or more drinks in a row — can cause large and sudden increases in blood pressure, in addition to other health problems.
6. Avoid tobacco products and secondhand smoke
On top of all the other dangers of smoking, the
nicotine in tobacco products can raise your blood pressure by 10 mm Hg or more
for up to an hour after you smoke. Smoking throughout the day means your blood
pressure may remain constantly high.
You should also avoid secondhand smoke. Inhaling smoke
from others also puts you at risk of health problems, including high blood
pressure and heart disease.
7. Cut back on caffeine
The role caffeine plays in blood pressure is still
debatable. Drinking caffeinated beverages can temporarily cause a spike in your
blood pressure, but it's unclear whether the effect is temporary or long
lasting.
To see if caffeine raises your blood pressure, check
your pressure within 30 minutes of drinking a cup of coffee or another caffeinated
beverage you regularly drink. If your blood pressure increases by five to 10
points, you may be sensitive to the blood pressure raising effects of caffeine.
8. Reduce your stress
Stress or anxiety can temporarily increase blood
pressure. Take some time to think about what causes you to feel stressed, such
as work, family, finances or illness. Once you know what's causing your stress,
consider how you can eliminate or reduce stress.
If you can't eliminate all of your stressors, you can
at least cope with them in a healthier way. Take breaks for deep-breathing
exercises. Get a massage or take up yoga or meditation. If self-help doesn't
work, seek out a professional for counseling.
9. Monitor your blood pressure at home and make regular doctor's appointments
If you have high blood pressure, you may need to
monitor your blood pressure at home. Learning to self-monitor your blood
pressure with an upper arm monitor can help motivate you. Talk to your doctor
about home monitoring before getting started.
Regular visits to your doctor are also likely to
become a part of your normal routine. These visits will help keep tabs on your
blood pressure.
·
Have a
primary care doctor. People who don't have a primary care doctor find it
harder to control their blood pressure. If you can, visit the same health care
facility or professional for all of your health care needs.
·
Visit
your doctor regularly. If your blood pressure isn't well controlled, or if
you have other medical problems, you might need to visit your doctor every
month to review your treatment and make adjustments. If your blood pressure is
under control, you might need to visit your doctor only every six to 12 months,
depending on other conditions you might have.
10. Get support from family and friends
Supportive family and friends can help improve your
health. They may encourage you to take care of yourself, drive you to the
doctor's office or embark on an exercise program with you to keep your blood
pressure low. Talk to your family and friends about the dangers of high blood
pressure. If you find you need support
beyond your family and friends, consider joining a support group. This may put
you in touch with people who can give you an emotional or morale boost and who
can offer practical tips to cope with your condition.